1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to merchandising aids, and relates more particularly to a combination label holder/sign holder to be secured to a supporting surface, such as a C-channel formed along the front edge of a merchandising shelf. The label holder portion of the merchandising aid is designed to removably receive non-adhesive labels to display consumer information such as descriptions and prices of products on the shelf, as well as inventory control information, such as barcodes and the like. The sign holder portion of the merchandising aid is adapted to carry a xe2x80x9cflagxe2x80x9d or sign displaying special information to the consumer, such as identifying a xe2x80x9csalexe2x80x9d item or the like.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Shelves with C-channels along the front edge are commonly found in merchandise outlets such as supermarkets, pharmacies and the like, the C-channel being formed with spaced upper and lower opposed lips to provide a convenient means for mounting many different kinds of fit-in articles, such as labels, signs or sign holder which provide information relating to the merchandise displayed on the shelf. Adhesive-backed labels can be secured directly to a supporting surface, such as the side of a warehouse shelf, or even directly on the surface of a C-channel. However, removing such adhesive-backed labels is time consuming and difficult, leaving an unsightly residue build-up. For many applications, therefore, non-adhesive paper or plastic labels are preferred since they can easily be replaced if they become damaged or the product information changes. While such non-adhesive labels can sometimes simply be fitted directly between the lips of the C-channel, more commonly, label holders are provided which have a back or body panel attached in some fashion to the supporting surface, with a transparent cover member flexibly secured along one mating edge to the body panel to define between the front surface of the body panel and the rear surface of the cover member a pocket for removable reception of one or more such information-containing labels.
Label holders are generally provided in elongated sections, perhaps 4xe2x80x2 or more in width, and may be secured by adhesive strips or the like to any supporting surface such as the side of a shelving or warehouse unit. However, most applications for such label holders are directly on the front flange or in the C-channel of the front edge of a product display shelf. Various prior art embodiments of such label holders can be seen in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,713,899, 5,458,307, 5,488,793, 5,515,632, 5,682,698, 5,899,011 and 6,105,295, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.
Oftentimes, in addition to the information provided by the product labels, it is desired to highlight certain information about a particular product or group of products by displaying an enlarged xe2x80x9cflagxe2x80x9d or sign on the shelf, depending from the portion of the shelf carrying such products, or extending into the aisle at such a location. Different forms of xe2x80x9csign holdersxe2x80x9d are also well known in the merchandising art, examples of which can be seen in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,793, as well as commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,485,575, 4,531,313, 4,625,441, 4,704,813, 4,917,342, 4,995,182, 5,682,698, and 6,163,996, the subject matters of which are also incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.
Separate sign holders can simply be positioned on the shelf itself, or juxtaposed to the shelf in the aisle. Yet, such an arrangement may not be stable, can waste valuable product display space, and can even cause damage to consumers. For that reason, as seen in some of the aforementioned patents, such sign holders may be designed to be supported partially or entirely in the same C-channels as the label holders.
While constructions of this nature are convenient in some respects, significant difficulties are encountered when it is necessary to insert new labels or to remove or replace labels already carried in the underlying label holder. In order to access the label holder pocket, any and all sign holders secured in front of and, therefore, overlying the label holder must first be removed, and subsequently replaced. This is time consuming, labor intensive, and obviously inefficient, particularly when using elongated label holders that may have multiple sign holders engaged along their length.
Moreover, in some instances, or in respect of some portions of an extended product shelf, it may be desirable to support labels or signs of different configurations on the same merchandising aid, avoiding the need to remove or replace a label or sign holder whenever the nature of the goods, or the information to be presented with respect to the goods, is changed. A merchandising aid or label/sign holder capable of accommodating such variations would be highly desirable.
It is primary object of the instant invention, therefore, to provide a merchandising aid in the form of a combination label/sign holder wherein labels can be selectively inserted and removed from the label holder pocket without removing any of the sign holders associated with related products.
A further object of this invention is the provision of a combination label/sign holder wherein the supporting means for the sign holder are part of the cover member of the label holder so that when the cover member of the label holder is flexed away from the base panel to remove or insert new labels, the sign holders are carried by, and move with, the cover member and do not interfere with access to the label holder pocket.
Consistent with the foregoing, the front surface of the cover member of the label holder is provided with a pair of sign holder-receiving lip members which can snappingly receive edge portions of a resilient plastic or metal sign holder such as seen in aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,793, or the engaging portions of a depending sign holder of the type seen in aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,682,698 and 6,163,996, or other such commercially available sign holders.
Another object of this invention is the incorporation of the unique combination label/sign holder construction hereof in any of a variety of label holder designs, particularly label holders having a locking construction to secure paper or the like labels in the pocket, with a ledge or other finger-engaging element adapted to facilitate opening the label holder for insertion or removal of labels from the pocket, wherein engagement of a sign holder in the same C-channel can sometimes interfere with the locking and releasing mechanism on the label holder.
Yet, another object of this invention is to provide the front surface of the transparent cover member of a label holder of the type described with an upper xe2x80x9cgripxe2x80x9d member adapted to slidingly receive and removably retain an additional label or the like without having to open the cover member or disturb the labels within the pocket formed between the cover member and the body panel of the label holder, and without disturbing any signs carried by other portions of the cover member.
A still further object of this invention is to provide the front surface of the transparent cover member of such a label holder with a lower xe2x80x9cgripxe2x80x9d member adapted to slidingly receive and removably retain a different label or portions of a depending sign holder which is of insufficient length to span the spacing between the sign holder-receiving lip members carried by the cover member.
Other and further objects of the instant invention will become apparent from the ensuing description and claims read in conjunction with the attached drawings.